Pierce: Fox’s growing leadership makes Kings ‘dangerous’ team originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
De’Aaron Fox made The Leap this season. He has a plethora of career-high statistics and a new All-Star jersey to show for it, not to mention potential All-NBA recognition in the near future.
Paul Piece, a former Boston Celtics great and recent inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, observed a key intangible Fox has added to his repertoire this season.
“I’m not in the locker room with these guys, but I can see it on the court that Fox is developing into a young leader out there,” Pierce said to NBC Sports California’s Kyle Draper and Matt Barnes on “Kings Pretgame Live” Tuesday night. “He’s young, but you can see his teammates really respect him. He’s there for them night in and night out. He’s one of the most clutch players in the league.
“You’ve got a guy like him and Mike Brown — the combination of those two guys with everyone else falling in line, knowing their role. That makes for a dangerous team. That’s what Sacramento is.”
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Fox’s partnership with center Domantas Sabonis propelled Sacramento from play-in tournament hopefuls to Western Conference contenders in a matter of months. His clutch scoring, improved outside shooting and top-notch leadership is a winning formula that Pierce — an all-time great and NBA champion himself — noticed from a distance.
